章 78: It Began Peaceful
Maguanacs Base
Quatre looked over the calm people right down below, just living their life. It was such a good feeling. He watched as Wufei came in the room. "The people are just so happy. Everyone is so happy. What a peaceful day."
"Sure." Still, Wufei cracked a smile. "I see you got something next to you. I doubt it's for me."
Quatre picked up the small present. It was the first thing he had for Sandrock. Yesterday, they got the first good news. Dorothy had nothing inside of her that was hurting her anymore. "I just felt like celebrating Revenge of the Loss' utter failure." A little ego-ish, but he couldn't help it. "Dorothy is going to be fine. I can even watch over her carefully in the colonies if I needed to."
Wufei gave a light nod. "Good to hear."
Quatre noticed Wufei was wearing something different around his neck. It was small. "Did Mei-Lin make that for you?"
"She wants to make me feel better about my mother's death," he answered. "A Zhang woman will do this for awhile. Meals. More agreeable. Less aggressive. It's just tradition."
"It's tradition for a Zhang wife to do that for her husband when someone passes," Quatre pointed out. He'd already looked into it. "Nice chain."
Wufei messed with the chain briefly. "I'm just making her feel better by wearing it. I am not her husband, but I am helping her with her justice. It's a similar dedication."
"Funny. I didn't see that one as an option," Quatre teased.
"Not everything is on the internet." Wufei looked irritated. "At least she hasn't been bothering me with her new colony news anymore." He looked over by the present near Quatre again. "You finally get it. What are you going to do?"
"Oh, I'm taking it over to her in just a bit," Quatre smiled. It was such a little gift, but it made such a difference in his heart.
"No, I mean you, Quatre," Wufei asked. "Dorothy Catalonia agreed to stay until it was safe. There's nothing wrong with her, she's been cleared of the murder accusal, and when RTL is gone, that is over."
Over. Yeah. The tablet was almost cleaned. "You mean, what to do about Sandrock?"
"I don't have that problem to worry about," Wufei admitted to him. "You couldn't see past the emotions between you two, but now you'll have to think about this. You did throw a ring on her finger, but I believe she was supposed to die. Are you still doing that?"
Oh. Oh boy. "I never really asked her, I just put the ring on, and she refused it once. I don't even know where she put that ring." Yeah. "No." Nope. "I am not going to hit that subject yet with her. I'm just going in there to give her this gift. We'll figure it out from there." He watched Mei-Lin come in. She had such a close proximity to Wufei again. Those two. He thought it was tricky with Heero and Relena, but those two? They had an excuse for everything. Even if he called it out right now how close she was standing, Wufei would say it was once again some kind of joint grieving position or something.
Zhang and Long may not have gotten along, but their similar traditions seemed to keep those two closer than either wanted to admit to. Quatre was picking up that feeling long before the tragic death of Wufei's mother.
Mei-Lin's action must have been filling him with more closure. Neither of them seemed to get so mad at each other, and that feeling of belonging between them only increased.
Yet, Quatre didn't really know if these two would share anything, and he doubted Wufei would want to hear about what he thought. It was best to leave them alone and go see how Dorothy had been doing.
She was never too far. He spotted her looking out from a balcony down below instead. "Dorothy. I wanted to talk to you."
She glanced back at him. "You are radiant today." That slight smirk. "By all means, Quatre Raberba Winner, what has you in such a good mood?"
He brought over the present. "Here." He watched her look over it. "Open it." Confusion. "It's just a present I want to give her." He wouldn't lose his spark or his good mood, no matter the confusion he felt from her.
"A pre-gift. How quaint." She was trying to brush it off. "I am sure they will love it when they are born."
"Dorothy." She just loved to play around. She shook the box briefly.
"Nothing valuable, it is a baby. A rattle could be in it. Perhaps a blanket?" She still felt confused.
"Don't worry, it's just a small gift," he insisted again. "No need to be confused." The confusion wasn't about the gift, it was about the same thing Wufei had been talking about. "We'll figure things out, but for now, open the gift."
She fanned herself with the gift. "Goodness, it's warm."
"Then, we should head back to our room, and you could open it?" he answered.
She seemed to shake her head lightly. "Too playful."
"Not playful enough."
"Not a time to be playful." Lots of embarrassment. "Psychology can create such profound effects."
"I feel what others feel. You feel what others feel. I was nervous about this. You were nervous about this. Those feelings just kept increasing because we felt nerves from each other all the time. There's no shame in that." He gestured to the gift. "It's for more than fanning yourself when you're hot, Dorothy." She was generally uncomfortable with his level of basically happiness. She hadn't felt it as much. "This is how the real me feels when the world isn't ending around me. You'll have to get used to it." The gift already?
"Do I have to get used to it?" She gave him that look just right, understanding why he wanted to give her it so bad. "Life changes so fast, you want a positive memory before this illusion of happiness shatters."
"It isn't an illusion, it's just fragile." But, yeah, he did want that. Oh, she was finally messing with the paper, delicately messing with the tabs gently, like someone who would want to keep the paper. He gave a gentle groan, indicating the paper wasn't important. But? He heard it.
Something he hadn't heard in quite some time. Her playful chuckle. She knew the paper wasn't important at all, she was just drawing out the moment with him. She really started to get at the paper and opened it up. "Well?"
"Well, I believe she'll be dazzling in any color she will choose," she answered bringing out the dress. It was simple. Beige colored mixed with darker shades of blue and green were more in fashion around that stronghold. "It's a good first time color, it will be beautiful right next to the majesty of Relena's child. Just about five feet to the left."
Oh, she was feeling better. "She might be meant for more than staying by the side of Miss Relena's baby."
"There is no nobler place then on the side of Miss Relena." Dorothy could barely say the phrase. "I suppose you'll just have to do for now."
"I'll try and be a good substitute." Smiles adorned both of them too fully.
They both headed down and mingled with some of the others in the town. Went to go look at things that were for sale on the outside. Enjoyed the sun. Well, he enjoyed the sun, she bought a real fan to try and deal with the heat. "Do you need to go back and get out of the sun?" She wasn't used to that direct heat. Yeah, her movement. Her smile she was trying to put on for others. The sweat on her brow.
She didn't bother to answer as they both headed back upward to their room. He didn't want her overwhelmed by the sun. When they entered, he helped her down onto the bed. She relaxed as he went to the bathroom.
He looked at his reflection in the mirror. It felt so much better inside, having and reflecting hope back. Even a little bit of hope being given outward, just pulled more hope from her. It was the opposite effect Revenge of the Lost probably wanted.
Instead of dragging each other down, they were now lifting each other up. What do I do about Sandrock? A little girl. Revenge of the Lost is almost over. Do I really bring Dorothy up into the colonies with me? Or, is she still going to want to be on Earth? Do I try and stay full time, or do I . . . He washed his hands and came back out. And? "Dorothy?" He looked toward the open shutter that hadn't been opened before. "Dorothy!"
No, no! "Wufei!" He darted out of the room, immediately looking around. "Dorothy!" He looked out toward the crowd, realizing Wufei had been doing the same thing. "Dorothy!"
"Wang Mei-Lin," Wufei answered back to him. "I asked her to stop with the grieving gifts since they weren't being displayed right in the correct manner. She said she would keep it just at the new chain and left the room. She wasn't gone long."
But. But. But. "Dorothy."
"I have been looking!" Wufei insisted. "This stronghold isn't big, Quatre. Make an announcement, we need to find them now."
Good idea. He went and had the leaders make an announcement. Several people searched. They were searching in so many nooks and crannies, but coming up empty.
Quatre had to risk it. He called up Trowa. Unreachable. He called up Duo. No answer? He called him again. He called him again. Duo always answered, he was always too concerned about Hilde.
"Better be important," Duo answered.
"Heero isn't answering, Trowa isn't answering, and we lost sight of Dorothy and Mei-Lin!" Quatre told him. "Do you know anything?"
"Ugh, maybe? I don't know yet. Just got around to hopefully tracking Hilde." In other words, no.
"I had her looked at, Duo. She was okay, she must have been all healed up. She was really okay." That happiness. So fleeting. "I even found out that Sandrock was going to be a girl. I gave her a gift." Breaking.
"I've got people who helped me on Hilde's whereabouts. I'm hoping I found her. I'll make sure if they see anything else in these locations, they get back to me. I went from one person looking for Hilde, to a top notch crew of about ten guys going around searching in skeptical places. We just need to pray that Revenge of the Lost doesn't want to do anything until we are actually there with them."
None of it made him feel better. None of it. "Just a few seconds."
"They are getting desperate, Quatre, don't feel guilty. Heero's done with the tablet, things are already happening against them. It was bound to happen. Oh, but Trowa's . . ." Duo paused on the phone. "So, Middie Une isn't actually carrying his child. Turns out that's gonna be a nephew of mine."
"Trowa's baby wasn't his baby?" Middie Une wasn't carrying his child?
"Yeah, Crystalia just wanted him to think so. She kept it convincing so she wouldn't have to have an actual grandkid involved in it all. Trowa hasn't said anything much about it, but he's still keeping a close eye over her. Uh? Oh yeah. She's supposed to still kill Dorothy, but you shouldn't dwell on that right now."
"Not dwell on it right now? She's carrying Sandrock and she's missing right now!" Not dwell on it? Not dwell on it?!
"Trowa is with Middie Une, so if they spot her, instead of killing her, I'm sure he'll call. It couldn't have been him. He wants to keep them near to her so RTL thinks she's doing her job, but he's actually helping to make sure Dorothy stays safe too. Quatre. You get that, right?"
"How do you know Trowa isn't the dad?" Quatre asked.
"She just didn't act like it? It was convincing enough that Middie's been free."
"Yeah. Free and no longer in danger by Revenge of the Lost unless she doesn't follow their rules."
"Okay, Quatre. Relax. Fine, even if Crystalia pulled yet another one over on them, it doesn't mean Trowa stole her."
"When did he leave?"
"Um. Couple of days ago. You know Trowa would never hurt her."
"I lost Dorothy, and someone is after her right now to shoot her." To shoot her. Trowa? "Trowa is after her." Did he take her for a reason? "He can't have her, I am watching over her!"
"Look Quatre, I know you are having a mini-breakdown, but I am trying to keep my eye on RTL in my own house to get Hilde back. Everyone's stressed. If for some reason they did take her, they wouldn't hurt her."
Quatre squeezed the phone. "This is the thing about friends who just don't express their plans to each other! We are all separated from each other, I don't know what his plans are. You know he once joined Oz to get close to it. He even took Heero hostage."
"I don't know about any plans, Quatre-"
"Which is the problem!" Quatre saw Wufei come back, concerned. "If you hear from Trowa, tell him that he needs to communicate more with me! I can help make sure he is close. I can. Not him, not some stupid research, and not some stupid plan that I don't understand! I can because I am not going to let him just plan whatever he wants with her! Duo!"
"Fine." Curt. "If it's Trowa, count yourself lucky. I've gotta go."
"Stay in touch. We all need to stay in touch. All RTL has been doing is separating us more and more from each other. I didn't even know you were in your old colony, or that you were getting Hilde." Quatre tried to ease up on the conversation. "Sorry for the outburst, Duo."
"It's almost over. Gotta go." He hung up.
Quatre just watched as Wufei looked for him for news. "Trowa's hunting Dorothy down with Middie Une."
"What? Did he take them? Is he planning something?" Wufei asked.
"I don't know. I don't know because we don't even call each other because we don't trust any clues not to lead Revenge of the Lost to us." Quatre shook his head. "I don't know whether she's . . ." Oh, those eyes started to sting as he wiped the tears away. "I don't know if I've lost her to the enemy and she needs found now, or whether she's with a trusted friend with a plan."
"That we don't know." Wufei seemed to get it. "Trowa infiltrated Oz before. There's no telling if he did it, but the fact Mei-Lin is missing leads me to suspect we aren't getting off lucky."
"Yeah." Wufei was right. "Then . . ."
"Revenge of the Lost, Quatre." Wufei put his hand on his shoulder. "I have a feeling you are hitting on a big problem that we must address. Let's go."
"There's more," Quatre said as they started to walk away. "Apparently Duo has a lot more people helping him find Hilde. She's supposed to be at their old house, he's waiting to make a move. He's going to let the people who helped him with Hilde find Dorothy and Mei-Lin. They say Middie Une isn't carrying Trowa's baby after all, that his mom lied. I don't know about that for sure."
"We won't find them here anymore," Wufei said to Quatre. "Keep open lines here, but we need to get out and get to Duo. Any information he has gathered on Revenge of the Lost, I want it, and he won't fork it over on a phone call."
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